AMERICUS, GA (WALB) - Positive changes are coming to the Americus Police Department this year. And citizens will be able to see the changes first-hand out in the community.

The Americus Police Department has set new goals for 2018, after becoming state certified last year.

Americus Police Chief Mark Scott said at the beginning of 2017, the department had 12 openings for certified police officers, but now there are only four.

"We've got a lot more officers on the street now than we did a year ago, especially two years ago. Officer presence definitely makes a difference in the neighborhoods," said Chief Scott.

According to crime trends provided by Chief Scott, crimes like robberies, aggravated assaults and larcenies were down 21 percent in 2017 compared to 2016.

Simple assaults, criminal trespass and drug activities were down 12 percent in 2017 from the year before.

Scott said they will continue to work hard to deter crime in the city.

"We're actively working. We're actively working our neighborhoods. We've seen a marked reduction in crime over the past year so we're just going to keep trying to do what we've been doing," said Scott.